Aggression Flashcards

Question

What did research by Timbergen (1951) with the male sticklebacks suggest about the ethological explanations for aggression

Answer 1

Male sickle back fish attack other males that invade its territory but only attack male fish with red bellies- not females. The did not attack fishes of the same shape without red bellies. Any red indicates aggressive behaviour response due to its association with male sticklebacks. The fish would even attack it the red was outside of the tank. If you removed the red berry midway through an attack male would still continue attacking.

Answer 2

Lea (1984) six features of FAP’s 1. Stereotypes: behaviour should all occur in the same way 2. Universality: behaviour is found throughout species. 3. Independence of experience: behaviour is not learnt 4. Ballistic: actions cannot be changed once initiated. 5. Singleness of purpose: behaviour is used in one context only. Behaviour cannot be used elsewhere even if it would be useful 6. Triggering stimulus: behaviour is triggered by a certain stimulus.

Answer 3

Evolutionary explanations in psychology focus on how patterns of behaviour have evolved through natural selection, in the same way that physical characteristics have evolved. Because of natural selection, adaptive behaviours, or behaviours that increase reproductive success are kept and passed on from one generation to the next.

Answer 4

Evolutionary explanations could argue that this is due to cuckoldry (males who are unknowingly investing parental effort in offspring that are not genetically their own). These mechanisms drive often aggressive strategies men employ to retain their partners and prevent them ‘straying’

Answer 5

Researched and identified several male retention strategies that males display in relationships which involve aggression and even physical violence, including: - Direct guarding= includes male vigilance over a partner's behaviour. Eg. Checking their phones, telling them what to wear etc. - Negative inducements= such as issuing threats of dire consequences. Eg. “Ill kill my self if you leave” etc.

Answer 6

found that women who reported male retention strategies in their partners i.e. they agreed with statements like ‘he insists on knowing who you are with and where you are at all times’ were twice a likely to have suffered physical violence at the hands of partners. Of these women, 73% required medical attention and 53% said they feared for their lives.

Answer 7

Studied intimate partner violent (IPV) in 107 married heterosexual couples who had been married for less than a year. Females were requires to fill out a spouse report questionnaire assessing how violent their partners were in the relationship. Males were required to complete a mate inventory questionnaire which assessed their mate retention behaviours in various categories like direct guarding/negative inducements etc.

Answer 8

A strong positive correlation between men’s reports of their male retention behaviour and women's reports of their partner’s physical violent. Men who used guarding or negative inducements (e.g. threat sot kill) were more likely to use physical violence against their partner.

Answer 9

Bullying can be seen as the result of a power imbalance – because there is more powerful person vs. a weaker.

Answer 10

Volk (2012) argued that bullying is associated with traits that are attractive to the opposite sex i.e. for males: dominance, acquisition of resources. They may be seen as naturally selected i.e. they might improve chances of survival for the male and female and thus enhance reproduce success.

Answer 11

argued that females might bully in relationships as a method of controlling their partner and securing fidelity.

Answer 12

Any theory that argues behaviour is a result of an interaction between an individuals characteristics.

Answer 13

Any theory that argues behaviour is a result of an interaction between an individuals characteristics.

Answer 14

The heart of how people experience aggression. Social- psychological explanations account for triggers that can lead to aggressive behaviours such as emotions, feelings or the environment.

Answer 15

Dolllard of 1939

Answer 16

That frustration always leads to aggression. A result of frustrated emotions. The two must always be in balance.

Answer 17

Based on the psychodynamic concept or catharsis- the hypothesis sees aggression as a biological drive just as hunger We experience frustration when we attempt to achieve a goal that is blocked (blocked goal). Frustration creates an aggressive drive leading to aggressive behaviours such as physical violence or aggressive outbursts.

Answer 18

Abstract= the government, economics situation- due to someone being too abstract or powerful leads them to be unavailable for an individual to express their aggression. Punishment= aggression is displaced onto someone weaker due to source of frustration being either too powerful or frightening Unavailable= the source of frustration has left

Answer 19

Male uni students, given the chance to complete a jigsaw puzzle, their frustration was manipulated in 1 of 3 conditions. 1) Impossible jigsaw (they weren’t told it was impossible to solve) 2) Confederate interfering (and then they didn’t complete it as the timer ran out) 3) Confederate insulting participant for failing to solve the puzzle

Answer 20

Findings: The insulted participants gave the highest shocks followed by the interfering condition and lastly the impossible jigsaw condition. All 3 of these conditions gave higher shocks than a control group

Answer 21

Berkowitz= frustration creates a readiness for aggression but the presence of aggressive cues in environment make up acting upon this much more likely. Cues are an additional element of the frustration- such as weapons cues or intense arousal.

Answer 22

Student participant to be given electric shocks by a confederate in a lab station, creating anger and frustration. Then participants then had the opportunity to turn the tables and give electric shocks to the confederate.

Answer 23

The number of shocks given by the participant depended on the presence of absence of weapons in the lab: - when two guns were present on the table next to the schlock machine- number of shocks went up by 6.07 - with no guns present, average number of shocks were significantly fewer at 4.67 (This is called the weapon effects)

Answer 24

children learn aggressive behaviours from observing and imitating aggressive models

Answer 25

Children observe the models aggressive behaviours being rewarded. They learn aggression can be more effective in getting what you want. This is vicarious reinforcement

Answer 26

Models are seen to be punished for aggrieved behaviours- in this case children are less likely to imitate that behaviour.

Answer 27

The extent to which we believe our actions will achieve a desired goal. They learn that if they have the motor skills necessary to force another child to hand over a toy, and that this ability comes easily to them. The child’s sense of self-efficacy develops with each successful outcome. He or she is confident that because their aggression has been effective in the past it will come to be so in the future -> in other words, they learn that aggression works and that they are good at it.

Answer 28

Young children individually observed adult role model assaulting an inflatable plastic toy ‘Bodo doll’- aggressive behaviours including throwing, kicking and hitting the doll. The children were given a short period of time with no toy stimuli. They were then taken into another room where there was a Bodo doll.

Answer 29

Without provoking the children imitated the behaviour they had seen performed by model, both physically and verbally. Compared to another group that observed no aggressive behaviour from adult models. Aggressive behaviour towards Bodo doll by these children were almost non existent.

Answer 30

In everyday life as an individual, we are easily identified by our Behaviours in social settings. De-individuation theory focuses on our behaviour in crowds. Le Bon argues this is because in crowds we loose our identity and responsibility over our actions.

Answer 31

In an individuated state our behaviours is more rational and normative. I.e it conforms to social norms and values. In a de individuated state, our behaviours are emotional, impulsive and irrational- loosing self awareness of our actions

Answer 32

Drugs Alcohol Uniforms Masks and disguises Crowds The dark

Answer 33

“Anonymity shapes crowd behaviours” - this promotes less fear of consequences as you are unidentifiable within a faceless crowd- this promotes aggressive behaviours as the bigger the crowd the more anonymous an individual feels.

Answer 34

How we pay attention to our own feelings and behaviours- this is reduced in crowds where we are less critical over our behaviour which leads individuals to a deindividuated state

Answer 35

How much we care about what other people thing of our behaviour. This is also reduced in crowds, realising we are one among many we are therefore anonymous and less accountable for our actions. We are also less likely to be judged

Answer 36

Dunn and Roger’s

Answer 37

229 psychology students from 13 classes that were asked the question “if you could do anything humanly possible with complete assurance that you would not be detected or held responsible what would you do” Students were aware their responses were completely anonymous

Answer 38

36%- involved in anti-social behaviour 26%- actual crimes, such as robbing a bank A few opted for murder or assassination of a public figure 9% proposed prosocial behaviours- helping people

Answer 39

Study creates a correlation link between de-individuation and anonymity and the production of aggressive behaviour

Answer 40

Dispositional factors and situational factors

Answer 41

INSITUTIONAL model argues that prisons are not completely insulated from everyday life in the real world. Prison inmates bring with them (import) a subculture typical of criminality. This includes beliefs, norms, attitudes and a history of learning experiences as well as other personal characteristics such as gender and ethnicity his dispositional explanation is based on individual nature (e g inherited temperament) and also nurture (e.g social environment).

Answer 42

Individual characteristics

Answer 43

Mat DeLisi et al. 2012

Answer 44

juvenile offenders in Californian institutions who had negative backgrounds (e.g. childhood trauma, anger, histories of substance abuse and violent behaviour. These individuals were importing these characteristics (and the resulting dispositions) into prison. The researchers compared this group with a control group of inmates who did not have these negative features.

Answer 45

The negative inmates were more likely to engage in suicidal activity and acts of physical aggression

Answer 46

Aggressive or violent behaviour that takes place within the social context of a prison or other formal organised setting.

Answer 47

An explanation of behaviour that highlights the importance of the individual's personality (i.e. their disposition). Such explanations are often contrasted with situational explanations.

Answer 48

An explanation that identifies the causes of behaviour as existing within the environment, which may include other people. Such explanations are contrasted with dispositional explanations.

Answer 49

Donald Clemmer 1958

Answer 50

deprivation model places the causes of institutional aggression within the prison environment itself, ie. a situational explanation. Harsh prison conditions are stressful for inmates, who cope by resorting to aggressive and violent behaviour. Deprivation of material goods is closely linked to aggression because it increases competition amongst inmates. Aggression is also influenced by the nature of the prison regime. If it is unpredictable and regularly uses 'lock-ups' to control behaviour, then this creates frustration, reduces stimulation by barring other more interesting activities and reduces even further access to 'goods' (such as television).

Aggression Flashcards

(76 cards)